====== ISCI 300: Interdisciplinary Seminar ======

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Dept-Code    : ISCI
Course-Num   : 300
Title        : Interdisciplinary Seminar
Credits_     : 1 Science
Core-ISCI    : yes
             # "yes" if counts towards core ISCI credits, or "no"
Term         : Winter, Both terms
Prereqs_     : 2nd Year standing in Integrated Sciences (Major or Honours)
Coreqs_      : none
Active       : yes
             # currently active ("yes" or "no" to show or hide from course list)
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====== Faculty ======

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====== Description ======

Science is not just a field of study, it's a way of thinking about the world around you--trying to explain and understand your experiences and checking whether those explanations stand up to testing. It means not accepting what you're told because it came from an authority figure but evaluating it for yourself. Unfortunately, the opportunity for thinking scientifically is often drowned out in science classrooms by the sheer volume of "facts" and equations that need to be covered. (Have you confirmed the [[wp>citric acid cycle]]? Are you sure //[[wp>Newton's_second_law | F=ma]]//? Or did you just memorize it for the exam?)

Of course, there are benefits to the science [[wp>pedagogy]] we have chosen. For example, you obviously don't have the time or means to personally evaluate everything you want to learn. So you have to trust that the knowledge you are acquiring is correct. But this approach also has a hidden danger: as a student you get used to believing what you're told and stop questioning it.

That's where this course comes in--it's all about asking questions. Taking apart research and asking: "Does this make sense? Is it good science?" In all, it's not a bad approach to life. If you plan to "do" science in your career you should obviously have a good understanding of what it is. But even if you don't, the scientific method can be invaluable when considering difficult life choices.

We'll also be looking at how science intersects other aspects of our lives. We'll try to discover where the science ends and something else begins.

====== Goals ======

The course has four goals:
  - To train you to seek new knowledge and evaluate it critically;
  - To teach you to effectively communicate expert knowledge to a general audience;
  - To expose you to a wide range of scientific disciplines; and
  - To build relationships between you and your fellow IntSci students. 

Beyond that, I hope the course trains you all to be [[http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~rikblok/wiki/doku.php?id=science:the_curious_skeptic | curious skeptics]] so that you can take that mindset away with you and apply it in everyday life. 


====== Registration ======

Second year students having trouble registering may contact [[advising:people:rik_blok:start]] to be registered.

It is your responsibility to ensure schedule conflicts with other courses can be accommodated, but ISCI 300 does offer some flexibility.  For example, it is possible to complete the course requirements in just one term.  Contact [[advising:people:rik_blok:start]] if you can't register due to a schedule conflict.
